Stories from October 29, 2025

Ranked choice voting in 2025 Minnesota elections: How does it work?
This year, five Minnesota cities — Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis Park, Bloomington and Minnetonka — will use ranked choice voting in their mayoral and city council elections.
'They’ll never find me as long as I’m smart,' wrote St. Paul man charged in anti-LGBTQ vandalism spree
Ramsey County prosecutors on Wednesday charged a self-described “right wing libertarian” in connection with a summertime vandalism spree in St. Paul that targeted LGBTQ+ Pride flags and anti-Trump signs in St. Paul.
Senate vote on nullifying tariffs on Canada demonstrates opposition to Trump's trade policy
The Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would nullify U.S. tariffs on Canada, just as President Donald Trump is engaged in trade talks in Asia as well as an increasingly bitter trade spat with U.S.'s northern neighbor that is one of its largest economic partners.
Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent responds to teacher strike vote
Pay disparity for adult educators are among the main issues in dispute during the last seven months of contract negotiations. To get the school district’s perspective, Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Wednesday.
Tribal and Native urban communities prepare to lose SNAP benefits
Tribal nations and urban Native American communities in Minnesota are preparing to help support fellow community members who may see their SNAP benefits held up as the federal government shutdown continues.
Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed scheduling abortions on Monday after a nearly monthlong pause due to federal Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill that took effect at the beginning of October.
Gov. Tim Walz says his administration has hired a third-party entity to audit Medicaid programs to make sure money is being spent as intended. And TSA workers are continuing to work without pay during the government shutdown. Oct. 24 marked TSA's first pay period without a check.
Minnesota brings in third-party group to audit high-risk Medicaid program billings
With fraud at the forefront, the Walz administration will use a third-party entity to examine Medicaid billing in high-risk programs to spot problems before they snowball.
Twin Cities writers, illustrator share story of James and Grace Lee Boggs with young readers
James Boggs was a Black union organizer in Detroit and Grace Lee Boggs was a Chinese-American philosopher. When they got married in 1954, their interracial relationship was illegal in parts of the country.
After missed paycheck, federal workers in Minnesota 'feel the crunch' of the government shutdown
Minnesota is home to 18,000 federal workers, many of whom have been told to stay home and not work, or work without pay. This week was the first where many didn’t receive a paycheck.
Bridge vs. bridge collision delays installation of new pedestrian span in Coon Rapids
This week’s planned installation of a new pedestrian bridge in Coon Rapids is on hold after the large, metal bridge segment hit the underside of another bridge while being transported Tuesday.
What is the DSA, or Democratic Socialists of America?
Minneapolis voters next week will see multiple candidates on their ballots who are endorsed by the DSA. The political group’s profile has climbed over the last ten years nationally and in parts of Minnesota.
White House fires entire commission that reviews designs for federal buildings
The White House has fired all six members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the independent federal agency that reviews design plans for monuments, memorials, coins and federal buildings.
What to know as federal food help and preschool aid will run dry Saturday if shutdown persists
A new lawsuit by Democratic state officials seeks to uncork emergency money to help tens of millions of Americans keep buying food for their families after federal SNAP funding is expected run dry Saturday due to the U.S. government shutdown.
WWI soldiers’ messages in a bottle found on Australian beach more than 100 years later
Messages in a bottle written by two World War I soldiers have been discovered on Australia's coast. The Brown family found the bottle on Oct. 9 at Wharton Beach in Western Australia. Inside were letters from Australian soldiers Malcolm Neville and William Harley, dated Aug. 15, 1916.
Air traffic controllers spoke to travelers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Tuesday about going unpaid while working during the federal government shutdown. Minnesota members of the Caribbean Disaster Relief Fund say they’ve been working nonstop since before Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday as a Category 5 storm.
She’s a liberal MN legislator; he’s a conservative. A bike trip brought them together
A handful of Minnesota legislators from opposite sides of the aisle are pairing up to learn more about each other's districts. This comes at a time of deep political polarization and just months after the politically motivated assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
Trump administration moves to overrule state laws protecting credit reports from medical debt
The Trump administration is moving to overrule state laws that protect consumers’ credit reports from medical debt. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has drafted an interpretative rule related to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
In this Minnesota city, proposed property tax bumps pile up as residents push back
As local governments face increased costs and more directives from state and federal laws, added costs are expected to drive up taxes for property owners. In some places, the tax hits are coming from all directions.